United States Senate elections, 1854 and 1855

Various dates

21 of the 62 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 32 seats needed for a majority

	Majority party	Minority party

Party	Democratic	Whig
Last election	34 seats (59.6%)	20 seats (35.1%)
Seats before	36 (61.0%)	18 (30.5%)
Seats won	33 (62.3%)	14 (26.4%)
Seat change	3	4
Seats up	11	7

	Third party	Fourth party

Party	Republican	Free Soil
Last election	[New party]	2 seats (3.5%)
Seats before		4 (6.8%)
Seats won	3 (5.6%)	2 (3.7%)
Seat change	3	2
Seats up		3

	Fifth party

Party	Know Nothing
Last election	1 seat (1.8%)
Seats before	1 (1.7%)
Seats won	1 (1.9%)
Seat change
Seats up	0

Majority Party before election

Democratic Party

Elected Majority Party

Democratic Party

The United States Senate election of 1854 and 1855 were elections which saw the final decline of the Whig Party and the continuing majority of the Democrats. The Whigs became part of a minority coalition known as the "Opposition Party," which also included Free Soilers, Know Nothings, and a new party: the Republicans. Only five of the twenty-one Senators up for election were re-elected.

As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

Results

At the beginning of the 34th Congress, 1855-1857

Majority Party: Democratic (35)
Minority Party: Opposition (18) (Whigs, Republicans, Know Nothings, Free Soilers)
Vacant: 7
Total Seats: 62

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

After the October 14, 1854 special election in Vermont.

D₁
D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆	D₇	D₈	D₉	D₁₀	D₁₁
D₂₁	D₂₀	D₁₉	D₁₈	D₁₇	D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂
D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅	D₂₆ Ran	D₂₇ Ran	D₂₈ Ran	D₂₉ Ran	D₃₀ Ran	D₃₁ Ran
Majority →									D₃₂ Ran
FS₄ Retired	KN₁	V₁	V₂	V₃	D₃₆ Retired	D₃₅ Unknown	D₃₄ Unknown	D₃₃ Ran
FS₃ Retired	FS₂ Retired	FS₁	W₁₈ Retired	W₁₇ Retired	W₁₆ Retired	W₁₅ Unknown	W₁₄ Unknown	W₁₃ Ran	W₁₂ Ran
W₂	W₃	W₄	W₅	W₆	W₇	W₈	W₉	W₁₀	W₁₁
W₁

As a result of the elections

D₁
D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆	D₇	D₈	D₉	D₁₀	D₁₁
D₂₁	D₂₀	D₁₉	D₁₈	D₁₇	D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂
D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅	D₂₆ Re-elected	D₂₇ Re-elected	D₂₈ Re-elected	D₂₉ Hold	D₃₀ Gain	D₃₁ Gain
Majority →									D₃₂ Gain
V₂	V₃	V₄	V₅ D Loss	V₆ D Loss	V₇ D Loss	V₈ D Loss	V₉ D Loss	D₃₃ Gain
V₁ W Loss	KN₁	FS₂ Gain	FS₁	R₃ Gain	R₂ Gain	R₁ Gain	W₁₄ Hold	W₁₃ Re-elected	W₁₂ Re-elected
W₂	W₃	W₄	W₅	W₆	W₇	W₈	W₉	W₁₀	W₁₁
W₁

Beginning of the next Congress

D₁
D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆	D₇	D₈	D₉	D₁₀	D₁₁
D₂₁	D₂₀	D₁₉	D₁₈	D₁₇	D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂
D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅	D₂₆	D₂₇	D₂₈	D₂₉	D₃₀	D₃₁
Majority →									D₃₂
V₂	V₃	V₄	V₅	V₆	V₇	D₃₅ Gain	D₃₄ Gain	D₃₃
V₁	KN₂ Changed	KN₁	FS₂	FS₁	R₇ Gain	R₆ Changed	R₅ Changed	R₄ Changed	R₃
W₂	W₃	W₄	W₅	W₆	W₇	W₈	W₉	R₁	R₂
W₁

Beginning of the first session, December 3, 1855

D₁
D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆	D₇	D₈	D₉	D₁₀	D₁₁
D₂₁	D₂₀	D₁₉	D₁₈	D₁₇	D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂
D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅	D₂₆	D₂₇	D₂₈	D₂₉	D₃₀	D₃₁
Majority →									D₃₂
KN₂	V₁	V₂	V₃	V₄	D₃₆ Gain	D₃₅	D₃₄	D₃₃
KN₁	FS₂	FS₁	R₉ Gain	R₈ Gain	R₇	R₆	R₅	R₄	R₃
W₂	W₃	W₄	W₅	W₆	W₇	W₈	W₉	R₁	R₂
W₁

Key:

D_#	Democratic
FS_#	Free Soil
KN_#	Know Nothing
R_#	Republican
W_#	Whig
V_#	Vacant

Race summaries

Special elections during the 33rd Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1854 or in 1855 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Mississippi (Class 2)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect in 1853. Winner elected January 7, 1854. Democratic gain.	√ Albert G. Brown (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Connecticut (Class 3)	Truman Smith	Whig	1848 or 1849	Incumbent resigned May 24, 1854. Winner elected May 24, 1854. Free Soil gain. Winner did not run for the next term, see below.	√ Francis Gillette (Free Soil) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Vermont (Class 3)	Samuel S. Phelps	Whig	1853 (Appointed)	Incumbent lost entitlement to sit on March 16, 1854.^[1] Winner elected October 14, 1854. Free Soil gain. Winner did not run for the next tern, see below.	√ Lawrence Brainerd (Free Soil) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Arkansas (Class 3)	Robert W. Johnson	Democratic	1853 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected November 10, 1854.^[2] Winner would also later be elected to the next term, see below.	√ Robert W. Johnson (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
North Carolina (Class 2)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect in 1853. Winner elected December 6, 1854. Democratic gain.	√ David Settle Reid (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

Races leading to the 34th Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1855; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Alabama	Benjamin Fitzpatrick	Democratic	1848 (Appointed) 1849 (Successor elected) 1853 (Appointed) 1853 (Special)	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would remain vacant until November 26, 1855, see below.	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Arkansas	Robert W. Johnson	Democratic	1853 (Appointed) 1854 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1855.	√ Robert W. Johnson (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
California	William M. Gwin	Democratic	1850	Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would remain vacant until 1857.	William M. Gwin (Democratic)
Connecticut	Francis Gillette	Free Soil	1854 (Special)	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1854. Republican gain.	√ Lafayette S. Foster (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Florida	Jackson Morton	Whig	1848	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1854. Democratic gain.	√ David Levy Yulee (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Georgia	William Crosby Dawson	Whig	1847^[3]	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1854 or 1855. Democratic gain.	√ Alfred Iverson, Sr. (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Illinois	James Shields	Democratic	1848 or 1849	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1854 or 1855. Democratic hold.	√ Lyman Trumbull (Democratic) James Shields (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Iowa	Augustus C. Dodge	Democratic	1848 1849	Incumbent lost re-election. Incumbent then resigned February 22, 1855 to become U.S. Minister to Spain. Winner elected in 1855. Free Soil gain.	√ James Harlan (Free Soil) Augustus C. Dodge (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Indiana	John Pettit	Democratic	1853 (Special)	Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would remain vacant util 1857.	John Pettit (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Kentucky	Archibald Dixon	Whig	1852 (Special)	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1853, far in advance of the term. Whig hold.	√ John J. Crittenden (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Louisiana	John Slidell	Democratic	1853 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1854 or 1855.	√ John Slidell (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Maryland	James Pearce	Whig	1843 1849	Incumbent re-elected in 1855.	√ James Pearce (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Missouri	David Rice Atchison	Democratic	1843 (Appointed) 1843 (Special) 1849	Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would remain vacant until 1857.	David Rice Atchison (Democratic) Thomas Hart Benton (Democratic) ? (Whig)
New Hampshire	John S. Wells	Democratic	1855 (Appointed)	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would remain vacant until July 30, 1855, see below.	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
New York	William H. Seward	Whig	1849	Incumbent re-elected February 6, 1855. Winner became a Republican shortly thereafter.	√ William H. Seward (Whig) Daniel S. Dickinson (Dem.)/Hard) Horatio Seymour (Dem./Soft) Washington Hunt (Whig) John Adams Dix (Dem./Soft) Millard Fillmore (Whig) William F. Allen (Democratic) Others, see below
North Carolina	George Badger	Whig	1846 (Special) 1849	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1855. Democratic gain.	√ Asa Biggs (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Ohio	Salmon P. Chase	Free Soil	1849	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1854 or 1855. Democratic gain.	√ George E. Pugh (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Pennsylvania	James Cooper	Whig	1849	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Whig loss. Seat would remain vacant until 1856.	Simon Cameron (Know Nothing) Charles R. Buckalew (Democratic)
South Carolina	Andrew Butler	Democratic	1852 (Appointed) ? (Special) 1848	Incumbent re-elected in 1854.	√ Andrew Butler (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Vermont	Lawrence Brainerd	Free Soil	1854	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1855. Republican gain.	√ Jacob Collamer (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Wisconsin	Isaac P. Walker	Democratic	1848 1849	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1854. Republican gain.	√ Charles Durkee (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

Elections during the 34th Congress

In these elections, the winners were elected in 1855 after March 4.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
New Hampshire (Class 2)	Vacant			Democrat Charles G. Atherton had died November 15, 1853. Democrat Jared W. Williams was appointed to continue Atherton's term. Williams's appointment expired July 15, 1854 when the legislature then failed to elect a successor. Winner was elected July 30, 1855. Republican gain.	√ John P. Hale (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
New Hampshire (Class 3)	Vacant			Democrat John S. Wells's term had expired March 3, 1855. Legislature had failed to elect. Winner was elected late July 30, 1855. Republican gain.	√ James Bell (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Alabama (Class 3)	Vacant			Democrat Benjamin Fitzpatrick's term had expired March 3, 1855. Legislature had failed to elect. Incumbent was then elected late November 26, 1855. Democratic gain.	√ Benjamin Fitzpatrick (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

Complete list of races

New York

Main article: United States Senate election in New York, 1855

The election was held on February 6, 1855. William H. Seward had been elected in 1849 to this seat and his term would expire on March 3, 1855. At the time the Democratic Party was split into two opposing factions: the "Hards" and the "Softs". After most of the "Barnburners" had left the party, joining the Whigs, the majority of "Hunkers" split over the question of reconciliation with the minority of Barnburners who had remained Democrats. The Hard faction (led by Daniel S. Dickinson) was against it, in true Hunker fashion claiming all patronage for themselves; the Soft faction (led by William L. Marcy, which included the former Barnburners, advocated party unity as a necessity to defeat the Whigs.

In 1854, the Republican Party was founded as a national party, but in New York the Whigs and the Anti-Nebraska Party ran concurrently at the State election. The unification of these occurred in New York only during the nomination convention for the State election in November 1855. Also running in the 1854 election were the American Party and nominees of the Temperance movement. In a general way, party lines were blurred until the re-alignment during the late 1850s after the disbanding of the American Party.

At the State election in November 1853, 23 Whigs, 7 Hards and 2 Softs were elected for a two-year term (1854-1855) in the State Senate. At the State election in November 1854, Whig State Senator Myron H. Clark was elected Governor of New York, and 82 Whigs, 26 Softs, 16 Hards and 3 Temperance men were elected for the session of 1855 to the New York State Assembly. "Know Nothings are sprinkled miscellaneously among Whigs, Hards and Softs; and exactly how many there are of these gentry in the Assembly Nobody Knows."^[4] The 78th New York State Legislature met from January 2 to April 14, 1855, at Albany, New York.

In the Assembly, Seward received 69 votes, given by 65 Whigs; 1 Democrat; 1 Temperance man; 1 Republican and 1 Whig-Republican. Dickinson received 14 votes, given by 13 Democrats and 1 American. Horatio Seymour received the votes of 12 Democrats. Dix received 7 votes, given by 5 Democrats; 1 Independent Democrat and 1 Temperance man. Fillmore received 4 votes, given by 2 Whigs; 1 Democrat and 1 Temperance-American. Horatio Seymour, Jr., received the votes of 2 Americans. King, Butler, Lester, Wait and Bronson received 1 Democratic vote each. Campbell received 1 Temperance-American vote. Howell received 1 American vote. Hoffman and Haven received 1 Whig vote each.

In the State Senate, Seward received 18 Whig votes, Dickinson 5 Hard votes, and Allen 2 Whig votes. Preston and Church received 1 Soft vote each. Hoffman, Babcock, Ullmann and Fillmore received 1 American vote each.

Seward was the choice of both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.

Candidate	Party	Senate (32 members)	Assembly (128 members)
√ William H. Seward	Whig	√ 18	√ 69
Daniel S. Dickinson	Dem./Hard	5	14
Horatio Seymour	Dem./Soft		12
Washington Hunt	Whig		9
John Adams Dix	Dem./Soft		7
Millard Fillmore	Whig	1	4
William F. Allen	Democratic	2
Horatio Seymour Jr.			2
Preston King		1	1
Ogden Hoffman	Whig	1	1
Daniel Ullmann	American	1
Sanford E. Church	Democratic	1
George R. Babcock	Whig	1
William W. Campbell	American		1
Benjamin F. Butler	Democratic		1
Albert Lester	Democratic		1
Greene C. Bronson	Democratic		1
Solomon G. Haven	Opposition		1
John D. Howell			1
L. or J. Wait			1

References

↑ Samuel S. Phelps (W-VT) had been appointed by the governor during a recess of the state legislature, and the legislature later convened and adjourned a session without electing a senator to replace fill the vacancy. The Senate ruled that Phelps had lost his entitlement to sit when the legislature adjourned. See The Constitution in Congress.
↑ Byrd, Robert C.; Wolff, Wendy (October 1, 1993). "The Senate, 1789-1989: Historical Statistics, 1789-1992" (volume 4 Bicentennial ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office. , page 80
↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=p90RAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA427&dq=%22william+c.+dawson%22&lr=&as_brr=1&ei=CsTkR7TALI-kswO9g9ncBA#v=onepage&q=%22william%20c.%20dawson%22&f=false
↑ Result and comment in The Whig Almanac 1855 compiled by Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune

Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
The New York Civil List compiled in 1858 (see: pg. 63 for U.S. Senators; pg. 137 for State Senators 1855; pg. 248ff for Members of Assembly 1855)
Members of the 34th United States Congress
STATE AFFAIRS; Election of a U.S. Senator for Six Years in NYT on February 7, 1855
Result Senate: Journal of the Senate (78th Session) (1855; pg. 198)

United States Senate elections

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